Sunday, October 28, 2018

Rain, rain, go away....

It's been miserable cold, rainy weather here all weekend....but it's funny how that makes slow stitching all the more enjoyable...am I right? 

I could sit and stitch all day when the weather is so gloomy.

Today I am working on my Queen's Garden designed by Esther Aliu. I am leading this quilt as a BOM with my local guild, with permission from Esther, of course.

I'll be presenting Block 3 in a little over a week, but I thought I'd also do the handout for the orange-peel sashing as something people could get a head-start on, if they need a little extra applique.

This morning, I worked on the orange-peels a bit (but I need to prep a bit more for that) and I went back to the centre block to add some birds...



I still have to add some leaves at the base of the flowers, which I totally didn't notice missing until someone else noticed.

It's going to look nice with the sashing...


I'm finding that working with neutrals is quite challenging for me. I think it's working out....I just have to stop second-guessing my choices!


Next weekend both my son and my nephew are getting married. I just finished the binding on my nephew's wedding quilt....for some reason it was the longest binding ever. 



This quilt was a Border Creek Mystery quilt from a couple of years ago. It's nice that it's finding a home. I dropped it off yesterday so that's one thing off my to-do list for this week.

Have a wonderful day...hopefully you can find some time for some peaceful slow stitching today, especially if the weather gets you down.

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Love those sewalongs!

Not much going on around here lately as my focus is on keeping up with the longarming until I have to take a little break for my son's wedding and my trunk show.

I have tried to squeeze in a little time for catching up on a couple of sewalongs.

Here is my Farmer's Daughter block, which is this month's block for the Eleanor Burn's Fun on the Farm Sewalong...


I tried to square it up with a bit of a wonk in it, for interest, but there wasn't enough room to wonk it enough....so it may just look like a mistake. Oh, well!


A friend of mine is leading a sewalong with one of the guild's that is taking place online. It's called "I Am Enough". If you are on Instagram, check it out with the hashtag #iamenoughquiltalong.

What is it about sewalongs/quiltalongs that I find so hard to resist??? I don't know!!!!!

Here is my first block, The Colour Wheel, which is supposed to set the tone for the quilt...



In my last post, I wrote on how I was going on a trail run with my run buddy, my daughter, and her girlfriend. I just have to share a couple of pictures of that wonderful morning out in nature...





I hope we can make it back to the Dundas Conservation Area before Winter sets in for another run :)

Today I am linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social, and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers.

Have a great day!

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Sunday Stitches

I only had a little bit of time for stitching this morning.

It was enough time, however, to finish this block of my Summertime Sampler...


As much as I don't enjoy doing French Knots, I do like the effect of them on the Hosta.

Then I got a start on the dreaded binding on my nephew's wedding quilt. I know, I know, this is something that people enjoy, lol....the only thing I like is that it means for a completed quilt!....and that this one will be done in time for the wedding!



Now, to get ready for my outing this morning. 

I am going on a run with my friend to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area to re-run the route that is the Sulphur Springs Trail Run...even more special since my daughter and her girlfriend will be joining us.

I'll make sure to take some pictures. The first time I ran this trail was a practice run in the Spring...(I love this picture)....




.....and we came across a group of hikers taking a picture of their dogs....



So, you'll notice in those pictures, taken in April, the trees were still bare.

Flip forward to actual race-day a month later...


....everything was green and lush, a different kind of beauty from the month before. I also love this picture because it reminds me that at that moment I was quite choked up and almost in tears at the beauty around me. 

Today I expect yet another beautiful run with the leaves starting to change colour. I just hope we don't get lost! This time we won't have a seasoned coach with us, or a group of runners in a race to keep us on track.....but we'll have a map! Wish us luck!

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Have a lovely day!

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

#100days100blocks....almost a real quilt

Two years ago I participated in a sewalong on Instagram hosted by @gnomeangel.

The focus of the sewalong was this book by Tula Pink...


First, I have to say this is a lovely book. 

All of the blocks are quite different on the most part from blocks I have done before and they are all quick and easy. I had no problem keeping up with one block per day. 

When it was done, I went on down to my LQS for some grey fabric for sashing and ended up instead with a beautiful coral/salmon colour. The quilt is beautiful!....I was very happy with the results!


Even Cooper and Minnie enjoy a rare opportunity to be up on the bed with the quilt...


The idea was to post one block per day for one hundred days on Instagram using the hashtag #100days100blocks. It was a fun time and when they decided to run the sewalong again last year I was sorely tempted...but resisted.

This year it came up again.....and on the day that it began, I figured what the heck!!!, I'm in!!!

I have to say, I enjoyed this 100days as much as the first. I decided to do this one in mainly "shirting" fabrics as a challenge. It wasn't long before some modern fabrics squeezed their way in, as well as a few subtle-coloured fabrics.

This time around I only missed posting on Instagram on one day. That was the day that I rushed upstairs to the sewing room late in the day, realising that I hadn't gotten my wee block done....and ended up with a nasty run-in with my rotary cutter.






....and number 100....


I only had to re-do one of the blocks. Here is the "before"...




....and after...



Here are some of them up on the wall....


At about the Day 75 point I had a vision of how I would put this together in the end. It will have no sashing, therefore making it a nice lap-sized quilt. It will have no binding, it will be have a facing instead. And, to me, it will represent a newspaper.

Now I just have to think of a name for the quilt. I am leaning toward "The Daily Mail", which is a newspaper my husband reads, but I am open to suggestions....please?

I am going to rush to get this one completed, as I would like to have it ready to include in my trunk show, which is to take place on November 7th and 8th in Ingersoll. Wish me luck, as we also have my son's wedding a few days before that!

Today I am linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social, with Esther for WIP's on Wednesdays, and with Susan for Midweek Makers.

And, because I am linking with Esther I guess I should show what is currently on the design wall....my version, so far, of her pattern, "Queen's Garden"!


I still have to add a few bits to the top block (which is actually the centre of the quilt). This one has been challenging to me...using all neutral Japanese taupes, although the fabrics are lovely to work with and needleturn very nicely.

Well, back to work for me....have a wonderful day!

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Sunday Stitches

Just a quick post today as I have to get out the door soon for a loooong run with my running buddy :)

Lately I've been stitching away at block #3 of my Queen's Crown BOM. I am doing this as part of the BOM programme at my local guild. We are taking it slow, doing one block every two months.

Out of a relatively small guild of about 35 people, there are about a dozen of us taking part in this project....so impressive!


I came to a stall on this block this morning as I feel I have to choose another fabric for those last two leaves to add a bit more visual interest. And see that little tiny leaf on top of the flower in the top right hand corner?...there will be three of them, but that fabric is just not doing it for me, so I will pick something slightly darker.

I'm finding working with neutrals to be very challenging!!

I'll have to make those fabric corrections later today, hopefully. In the meantime, I started on Block 2 of my Summertime Sampler...


I don't know if all wool projects are done this way....but this pattern calls for all the pieces to be secured with a whipstitch in a colour floss that matches, then the contrasting blanket-stitch will be done.

I thought this a bit weird, until I did Block 1 and found that I liked the process.




It feels awkward to "toot my own horn", but I have to share some excitement from this past week. Only because many of you saw my progress on my Down the Rabbit Hole over many months of Slow Sunday Stitching, mind you! :)

I entered my DTRH and my Happy Days quilts into the Norfolk County Fair this year, and both quilts did very well.

Here is Happy Days....which won Grand Champion in the machine-quilted category....




.....and, to my delight as a hand-quilter for so many years, here is my DTRH, which won Grand Champion in the hand-quilted category....




I even got pictures sent to me from my family members...



I am a very proud Slow Stitcher!

I really have to get a move on now. I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Have a beautiful Fall day!